Bowdoin College Top Questions

The academics and professors at Bowdoin are wonderful. Classes are small and often discussion based. Classes are challenging but not impossible. Students spend a lot of time studying, if you don't do any work then there's no way you can get good grades. The distribution requirements are a good thing. They force students to go outside their comfort zone and explore something new.

Most professors know my name. Fav. class:Art. Students study a lot. Class participation common. Not much convo. outside class. Dont spend time w/ professors outside class. Academic requirements fair and manageable. Education for learning

Yes. Favorite: Drawing I, Least favorite: Economics Every day and every night. Class participation is required and encouraged. Yes. Not with each other so much as with themselves (ie personal bests). Undecided major. Not much Academic requirements: not too many, but enough that you get a taste of everything.

It's true: professors will get to know your name (for the most part). Of course, not all professors think about teaching in the same way, and some don't value names as much as others. The truth is that the small size of classes provides both student and Professor with a situation in which they are more inclined to know each other, and to examine academic material more intimately and more rigorously. Bowdoin is committed to keeping classes small, and I feel completely taken care of by an administration that is clearly tireless in their efforts to improve and add value to my education. Competitiveness in Bowdoin's academic setting is almost unheard of. Instead, students are more often encouraged to work in groups and support one another. In every course that I've enrolled in that has problem sets, every professor has encouraged me to work with others. This to me, reflects Bowdoin's unique view on diversity of learning styles - which the admissions office maintains through not requiring applicants to submit SAT scores. This is something I absolutely love about this school. The most unique class that I've taken was called "Globalization and Social Change," A Sociology and Latin American Studies course. It was one of the most demanding course loads I could have possibly imagined, but it was also one of the most influential courses of my life. It fundamentally changed the way that I think about the future and the nature of the economy. It has inspired me to act as a force for positive social change. Professors want to be your friend. Many department offices are contained in converted houses on the edges of campus where professors hold office hours and hang out with one another and talk academics. They love meeting with students and being academic and personal resources. They are more than willing to guide students in their independent studies, and they all need ladders to access all of the books in their bookshelves. I would say, unequivocally, that a Bowdoin education is about learning for its own sake. Academic requirements are a wonderful incentive for students to explore new disciplines and to try thinking in different ways instead of staying too comfortable with one field of study or major. Having said that, Bowdoin also has a fantastic Career Planning Center, which can hook you up with landing a good job, and one that can change the world.

For the most part, the professors here make it their own personal goal to get to know each of their students. While this does not apply to all, this applies to the vast majority, and even the ones that don't do make every effort to help their students understand the material provided the student makes the effort to get in and see them. Students study a standard amount, the majority of the learning takes place in the post class discussions where the students are able to voice their own interpretations and feeling stop their friends in a situation that meets their comfort needs. As far as the academic requirements are concerned, the college is trying to make an effort to diversify the students learning, yet the shortcomings are that the different distribution requirements are hard to get at and many classes that should fulfill a requirement do not and the requirements themselves, while in the catalog book sound exquisite and necessary do not actually touch on new subject areas for students.

My favorite class here was an art history seminar in which we curated a show at the newly renovated Museum of Art. We had the opportunity to work closely with some of the works on paper from the museum's collection: John Sloan prints, Winslow Homer wood engravings, and 20th century documentary photographs. This course presented some unique opportunities and was one of the best learning experiences that I have had here. I am a history major here - the department is really strong. I have yet to come across a professor or course that I dislike within the department. One of the things I like the best about the history department is that the courses are usually not big survey courses that just give timelines and facts. The department is more interested in the synthesis and analysis of ideas, trends, and problems in history. Although the liberal arts curriculum definitely creates an environment of learning for its own sake, students here are still pretty career-oriented. There's often a sense of guilt amongst students who aren't majoring in something "useful", whatever that may be. The one thing I have noticed is that a lot of students will double major and minor in a wide variety of departments, not necessarily becuase they are truly interested in all the topics, but more because they are interested in doing as much as they can academically. This emphasis on quantity, and not quality tends to highlight a trend on campus towards overachieving for the sake of overachieving, and I often find that there is a lack of actual academic passion here. People here are well-rounded, which is great, but this can also be a drawback because sometimes I feel like some students are a little boring.

yes and they are very friendly loved my hawthorne seminar, professor was awesome havent hated any class some are in the lib every night, others never go, but its all about time management because you have lots of free time to do whatever some kids participate all the time, others never do, but wont be judged one way or another. sometimes not really hawthorne seminar econ/math major, not too difficult to fulfill, but takes some work. but profs are very helpful. some kids do, i dont really distribution requirements are very broad and allow you to take what you WANT to take while makign sure you have some variety. i would say mostly learning for the sake of learning, but at the same time you are prepared well for life after school

Yes, they know my name. Right now my favorite is drawing and least favorite is viruses subverting life. Yes, students are competitive. Bridging divisions, about ethnic conflict regulation. no, only during their office hours. I feel like the requirements are a little excessive as far as division requirements go. I suppose it depends on what department you're in

Academics are top-notch at Bowdoin. Even taking all intro classes last semester, I was in classes of 16, 21, 35, and 50 students. The largest class that I'm in this semester has 35 students. That's amazing for freshmen year. All of my professors knew my name after two weeks of class or less. Class participation is not only encouraged, but almost always required. On my tour when I came to visit Bowdoin, the tour guide said you can never hide in a class at Bowdoin, and that's definitely true. Students are not competitive with other students, but they are very competitive with themselves. Students work very hard during the week, and people take their classes very seriously. One thing I would say is a warning about taking foreign language classes. Intro language classes move very, very quickly, so expect to work hard if you want to keep up.

Professors know who you are. My major advisor is my advisor, boss (I'm a grader in his intro courses), and friend. I've gone to his house for dinners, baby-sat for his kids, and talk to him several times a week about what's going on with his and my lives.